Early/Head Start Supports and Families’ Experience of COVID-19

• In Event: Vulnerable Children and Families in COVID-19: Risks and Resilience

Abstract

Poverty and its associated disadvantages negatively impact early childhood outcomes (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002; Johnson et al., 2016). Additionally, low-income families face heightened risk during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic (Russell et al., 2020). With closures of schools and child care centers (CDC, 2020; Head Start ELKC, 2020), expansions on SNAP/WIC (USDA, 2020), record rates of unemployment (US Bureau of Labor, 2020) and backlogs in accessing unemployment benefits (Romm & Long, 2020), low-income families with young children face specific challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. State and federal initiatives for this vulnerable group, including Head Start (Office of Head Start, 2019), are uniquely situated to support to this population. The present study uses a mixed-methods approach to describe COVID-19 impacts in Early/Head Start families (N = 315), and the range of ways they felt supported during the pandemic’s initial peak in April, 2020. This study addresses two questions:
1. What areas of family functioning are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?
2. What support do families report from their Early/Head Start program during the COVID-related shelter-in-place restrictions?
315 adult caregivers of children enrolled in Early/Head Start services participated in a Spring 2020 evaluation conducted via phone or video call with their home visitor or family advocate (See Table 1). The Connecticut Family Outcomes Matrix (adapted from the Florida Family Outcomes Matrix; ChildPlus, 2019), was administered to inform responsive programming, critically important during the pandemic. The tool is used biannually by identifying family needs on 25 items in alignment with the Head Start Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework (Head Start ELKC, 2019; US DHHS, 2018); rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1-crisis, indicating high needs level, to 5-empowered, indicating little to no needs. During the COVID pandemic, families additionally identified which items they felt were impacted by the pandemic. Table 2 presents average pre-COVID scores on Connecticut Family Outcomes Matrix items from the Fall 2019 and just prior to the arrival of the pandemic in the Spring of 2020; additional COVID-19 impacts assessed in April, 2020 are also provided. Families reported an average of more than 2 discrete impacts, with 77.46% (n = 244) indicating at least one COVID-19 impact, addressing research question one. Research question two was addressed by thematic analysis of families’ open-format, qualitative responses to the question: How do you feel the program supported you during the COVID-19 pandemic? Example quotes from several themes include “during the pandemic, there was constant communication and reaching out and providing educational activities even though the home visitor couldn't be here in person” and “they sent me the unemployment information…[and]…information of local food pantries.” Results indicate despite COVID-19-related family functioning disruptions, families viewed their Early/Head Start program as a valuable source of support in areas beyond just early care and education (e.g., help with unemployment paperwork, offering a sense of routine and normalcy with at-home lessons). Significant change over time is noted despite the taxing context of COVID-19, suggesting program efforts contributed to not just stability, but growth in several areas.

Authors

• Eleanor Fisk, James Bell Associates
  Presenting Author

• Beth S Russell, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author